Definitions:
Gateway date: like a gateway drug, it is meant to pave the way for other, more serious dates.

Thanks, Jo.

So I stand...
"He's a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back -- that's an earthquake. And then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you're finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." ~ Arthur Miller, "Death of a Salesman"

Dream big and bigger. Nothing's out of reach, really.

Setting aside Mr. Loman's rather misguided perspective, the statement stands, "Nobody dast blame this man." And it's true. We just have to remember to not lose sight of the present in the light of our dreams.

Dream big. Nothing's out of reach. Really.

Hoping I can remember what it's like to be in second grade, and that I can hang out with a second-grader without seeming to much like an adult.

Wish me luck.

He sat there on the bed, hair standing on end from his fingers trailing their way through it.

He sat there and looked at once completely relieved and a little bit terrified. Of himself, of others, it was unclear of whether his fear was in the specific or the general.

And yet the sense of ease was almost tangible. Though he was a part of the room, he was also not a part of it. He was removed. Above it all.

He shook with nerves. And spoke haltingly but without hesitation.

A laugh deep and tuneful, and then a quiet certainty of life.

In that moment with amber hair on end, and deep breaths, and dark eyes that were quiet, he had never been more himself. Recognition of that was clearly written on his face. Scary as knowledge of self can be, the corners of his mouth still turned upward in a smile.

And he was beautiful.

Fact:
There will always be a deadline. What a hole.